Foxconn building center to link cars to the Internet

TAIPEI, Taiwan - Foxconn Technology Group has recently been building an operation centre to help link 300,000 cars to the Internet by January 2015, according to a Commercial Times reports.

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., parent of Foxconn Technology Group, is a Taiwanese multinational electronics contract manufacturing company. It is the world's largest electronics contract manufacturer, and the third-largest information technology company by revenue.

The centre, based in Nanchang City in east China's Jiangxi province, is a joint venture between the Foxconn Technology under Hon Hai Precision Industry and Gosun Guard Security Service Technology Co., a local security service provider.

The two companies signed a strategic cooperation agreement recently to develop a leading operation centre for Internet-enabled cars. The formation of strategic partnership with Gosun Guard Security Service will help Foxconn Technology Group become a global bellwether in Internet of Things, said the Commercial Times.

A fourth-generation (4G) module embedded in the car will integrate the screens of the car, cellphone and personal computer and provide information on traffic, dining, shopping, insurance, maintenance, second-hand car trading and after-sale service, said Xiao Gang, chairman of the Gosun company.

The centre has successfully completed testing of the system on vehicles of several local brands, including BAIC, JMC and Geely. It is expected to go on a trial run in January 2015 with 300,000 cars connected to the Internet, Xiao told mainland media.

Eyes Big on Robot Plan

Foxconn Technology is also carrying on with plans to delve into industrial robotics, with the company's second-generation robotic arms under development.

Hon Hai Precision Industry Chairman Terry Gou earlier told mainland Chinese media that his company is looking to the ratchet up automation in production.

The robot plan is also intended as a solution to labour shortage and cost reduction as well.

Hiring about 1 million employees in mainland China, Foxconn Technology has struggled with a labour shortage and rising wages in recent years. Its Shanxi plant launched a massive recruitment for 20,000 workers last month to meet orders of next generation smartphones.

The company in 2010 launched its "robot strategy" that aims to put millions of robots into use. Some of the robotic arms have been put into use, but Gou said they still fell short of expectations in terms of proficiency and flexibility.